After the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) voided the late October MEC elections due to balloting concerns, the NetJets pilots finally were scheduled to vote in new union leaders on December 22 (results are posted on www.ain-online.com). The pilot group has been without peer representation since November 1, when the terms of the former MEC members expired. Once the new MEC gets up and running, contract negotiations will resume for the first time since the NetJets pilots overwhelmingly rejected a tentative agreement on October 29. Bargaining negotiations are scheduled to restart next month in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, it appears that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters will allow the NetJets pilots, more than 1,300 of whom sent in petitions to disaffiliate from Local 284, to form their own IBT local chapter. Strong Union, the five-person MEC slate that led the petition drive and fight against the tentative agreement, has also set up the Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (ASAP), with the intent of eventually unionizing other fractional pilot work forces.